Chapter 12：Family's Secret Recipe

The next day, father and son from the Bai family loaded the pot of meat onto the car and headed straight to the market.

The night before, Bai Ye had discussed with his parents that the meat was bought for twelve yuan per pound, without differentiating the cuts, but the selling price wouldn't be the same.

The braised pork would lose some weight during cooking, typically around 70-80% of the original weight.

This meant that one pound of cooked meat would only weigh about 7-8 ounces.

And Bai Ye estimated that his braised meat would be around 7 ounces per pound.

Just for the cost, the price needed to be around 17-18 yuan per pound. Otherwise, it wouldn't even cover the expenses.

Bai Ye figured that it would be better to sell more at a lower profit, so he decided on a price for the pork hocks, another for the pig's feet, and another for the pork belly.

As for parts like the hindquarters, which weren't suitable for braising, Bai Ye decided to keep those for the family.

The pork belly was the most abundant and delicious, so it was priced at 28 yuan per pound.

The pig hocks were set at 30 yuan, and the pig's feet at 35 yuan.

The sign even had a promotional price. This meant that if the sales were good, the prices could be raised anytime.

However, they only had one front hoof and one front hock for sale today. The back hooves and hocks were cheaper, but the lower price might appeal to some customers.

Before leaving home, Bai Ye's father had grabbed a cardboard box and wrote "Braised Meat" on it in large letters. Bai Ye, however, thought it lacked appeal and decided to change it to "Family's Secret Recipe Braised Meat."

No matter if it was truly an old recipe now, Bai Ye was confident it would become one in the future.

When Bai Ye's father saw him write "family's secret recipe," he furrowed his brows. "Nonsense. None of our ancestors were chefs. Where did this so-called family secret recipe come from?"

"Dad, it will attract people's attention. Just trust me!" Bai Ye said.

The father and son drove to Liu Family Market, which was hosting a small market today. Not too many people were expected, making it a good chance for Bai Ye to test his business.

Before leaving, Bai Ye also brought the gas stove and cooking pot along.

His father asked him what they needed those for, but Bai Ye only smiled without answering.

When they arrived at the market, they found a good spot to park the car and unloaded the pot.

Bai Ye's father set up a temporary table with two stools and some stones, ready to place the cutting board.

The meat was cut into large pieces, so it needed to be weighed.

Bai Ye's father, following his son's instructions, put on a disposable glove, looking somewhat professional, though only he knew how nervous he was.

At his age, it was his first time selling anything.

But after standing for a while, no one came over to ask about the meat. Everyone was heading to the more familiar stalls selling cooked food. Their stall looked unappealing in comparison, and there was nothing visible for potential customers to see.

His father, feeling disheartened, looked around at the other stalls, wanting to shout out but unable to bring himself to do so.

"Bai Ye, what are you messing around with?" his father asked.

"It's almost ready!" Bai Ye crawled out from behind the table, set up the gas stove, and began reheating the braised meat.

"Dad, the fragrance of wine doesn't fear the deep alleys, but we need to have that fragrance first." Bai Ye grinned.

As expected, once the meat started bubbling, Bai Ye opened the lid to let the smell escape.

Within ten minutes, people passing by couldn't help but sniff the air, looking for the source of the delicious aroma.

Unlike his father, Bai Ye was more daring. Just then, he received a random task from the system, asking him to sell ten servings of braised meat today.

Bai Ye didn't care about his pride anymore. Plus, it wasn't shameful. He started shouting out loudly.

His shouting caught people's attention, and with the strong aroma, more and more people gathered around.

"Braised meat? How much is it?"

"Braised meat is 28 yuan per pound. Take a look—this is all quality pork belly, and it tastes amazing!" Bai Ye said as he pulled a piece of meat from the pot and cut off a small chunk to give to a passerby.

The person tasted it and immediately widened their eyes. "Wow, this meat's good! Give me two pounds at a discount!"

"Well, I can't lower the price too much. The meat's expensive this time of year, and we only use top-quality pork, bought just yesterday from Li Village," Bai Ye said while lifting a large piece with the hook to show the customer. "Look at this meat—good three-finger pork. You just tasted it; it melts in your mouth."

Before Bai Ye could finish, the customer couldn't wait anymore. "Okay, I'll take two pounds!"

"Got it!" Bai Ye, who had been a chef for years, was skilled with the knife. He weighed and packaged the meat quickly.

"Here you go—two pounds of braised meat!" Bai Ye shouted loudly.

His shouting wasn't just part of the trade's routine to keep track of how much they were selling, it was also for advertising. People heard the calls and were curious, coming over to take a look.

Bai Ye's father handled the payments. Nowadays, most people in the countryside used mobile payments, with only some elderly customers still using cash.

Bai Ye's father didn't handle the meat, which kept everything hygienic in the customers' eyes.

Once the payment was collected, the customer complimented, "Hey, you're good at this. You're pretty precise with your cuts."

With the first sale made, more customers started asking about the meat, and after tasting a bit, most of them bought one or two pounds. Seeing the pot of braised meat getting emptier, both father and son were smiling with satisfaction.

Bai Ye checked his task log—four portions had already been sold. The smallest order was one pound, and the biggest one was almost four pounds.

"Dad, I think we should go back to Li Village after this," Bai Ye said. "Let's buy a whole pig this time!"

"Alright!" Bai Ye's father nodded eagerly.

But Liu Family Market was small, not comparable to the big markets in Nanzhuang, and not everyone liked braised meat. After selling four portions, business slowed down considerably.

Bai Ye, seeing he was still far from completing his task, felt a bit anxious.

He knew that the market only lasted in the morning, and now it was almost eleven. If he didn't finish the task soon, it might be too late.

So Bai Ye raised his voice and added slogans like "Try before you buy—if you don't like it, no charge!" Soon, more people came over, and he managed to sell the pig's feet and pig hocks.

Some customers tried to haggle, so Bai Ye had to give a little discount.

"This is tough. Everyone wants to bargain. If they don't, it feels like they're losing out. But when I'm selling, I feel like every penny shaved off is like cutting a piece of flesh from me!" Bai Ye muttered quietly to his father when no one was around.

His father looked at him and, for the first time in a while, smiled. "You've grown up."

Bai Ye looked at his father.

Was he being too stingy?

It was just his dad, after all, always protecting his son, even if it was just a small thing like this.